Blog // Connect Ohio

04/19/16

USDA Accepting Applications for $11M in Grants To Further Broadband to Rural Communities

By Amanda Murphy

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for grants through its Community Connect program. This program helps fund broadband access in unserved communities and is administered by USDA’s Rural Utilities Service.
More than $11 million in grants will be awarded for broadband infrastructure, as well as broadband for community centers and public institutions. For 2016, the minimum grant amount will be $100,000, and the maximum is $3 million.
For more information on the application process for the grants, see the April 18, 2016 Federal Register.
Read the news release distributed by the USDA on April 18, 2016.

04/19/16

FCC Approves Broadband Consumer Labels

By Amanda Murphy

Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released voluntary labels for broadband providers to use to disclose speeds, data caps, prices, and more for consumer broadband service. These labels were proposed by the Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee as a safe harbor for broadband providers to comply with the 2015 Open Internet Order, otherwise known as the Net Neutrality Order.
In the 2015 Open Internet Order, the Commission asked providers to give consumers their prices, performance, and network practices in a simple, easy-to-understand way—similar to nutrition labels.
Below is the broadband label template.
Read...